Black Screen After BIOS Update: Causes and Solutions

Perhaps you recently updated the BIOS through the manufacturer's website, and now Windows won't load – all you see is a black screen. Many users have encountered this problem before. In most cases, it can be due to a failed BIOS update or a motherboard issue. This article will show you how to fix the “black screen after BIOS update” problem from a tool perspective, and also offer a way to protect your data on the computer.

【Black Screen After BIOS】Why Does a Black Screen Appear After BIOS?

The BIOS is the program that a microprocessor uses to start a computer. Occasionally, after a BIOS update, a system will display a black screen with no progress. This indicates that the BIOS can't locate the files it needs to initiate startup, and the main Windows screen won't load.

This issue can occur on any brand of laptop, such as Lenovo, HP, ASUS, MSI, or Dell. The problem might be caused by:

• Motherboard overheating
• BIOS update failure
• BIOS settings changes
• Hard drive failure
• Incompatible BIOS
• Damaged RAM module
• CMOS memory issue

This is a very concerning situation as you cannot access your data or perform any operations during the breakdown. In extreme cases, you might lose all your system data. Many novices get frustrated after seeing this issue. However, frustration is not the solution. Keep reading to find the perfect solution for you.

Read more: How to fix The selected file is not a proper BIOS

How to Solve the Black Screen Issue After BIOS Update

Here are 8 quick solutions to fix the "No Display or Screen After BIOS Update" issue. Just follow the instructions outlined below:

• Solution 1: Connect the Cable and Monitor Properly
• Solution 2: Disconnect External Devices
• Solution 3: Resume an Interrupted BIOS Update
• Solution 4: Fix Black Screen with Third-Party Tools
• Solution 5: Perform Startup Repair
• Solution 6: Disable Fast Startup
• Solution 7: Repair Boot Record
• Solution 8: Check Your GPU
• Solution 9: Roll Back/Reinstall Graphics Drivers

Fix 1: Make sure the cable and display are connected properly

A black screen can be caused by improperly connected or disconnected monitor cables. This is a hardware issue. Follow these steps to properly connect your cables and monitor:

• Shut off the display.
• Check the condition of the connection points.
• Inspect the condition of the cables.
• Replace any damaged components.
• Reconnect the cable and turn on the display.
• If the display powers up normally, everything is fine.

Solution 2: Disconnect external devices

An external peripheral is any device that plugs into an external port on your computer. Common examples include mice, keyboards, printers, USB drives, speakers, and projectors. Sometimes, one of these devices can interfere with the BIOS boot process. In this case, you'll need to start your system with all of them disconnected. Here's how to unplug everything.

Step one: Hold down your computer's power button for five seconds.

Step three: Now, unplug all external devices.

Unplug all external devices.

4. Press the Power button to see if Windows starts normally.

If so, the problem should be fixed, and you can now reattach all your peripherals.

Fix 3: Recover from an interrupted BIOS update

If the BIOS update is interrupted, your screen will go black. You will need to restart the update process to allow the system to complete. If your screen is completely black with no text, the easiest way to recover from a BIOS update is to remove and reseat the CMOS battery. This is the correct procedure.

Step 1: Turn off the system and unplug the AC adapter.

Step two: Hold down the power button for 40 seconds. This discharges any remaining current in the system.

Third, remove the battery and wait a few seconds.

Step four: Install the battery, and plug in the AC adapter.

(5) Power on the system and check if the BIOS update has automatically recovered.

If it does, let it finish. When it's done, you'll see the Windows login screen.

If you're not sure how to update your BIOS, consult this article for help.

Solution 4: Fix Black Screen Issues with Third-Party Tools

To fix the black screen issue, you need to use a bootable disk and start Windows from it. The Partition Master tool offers a “Boot Repair” feature that helps you boot your computer to the tool's WinPE desktop and fix all errors on the boot disk.

It supports fixing various black screen or blue screen errors on Windows computers with a single click. It lets you fix boot issues like a pro, even if you're a beginner.

Step 1: Connect the USB drive/hard drive to a working computer and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant (Rescue Media Builder). Click "Create Bootable Media".

Step 2: Select the Boot Toolkit tools and other components that you need, and then click Next.

Step 3: Select your mobile device, then click “Start” to write the image file to your USB drive/external drive. You can also burn the Windows ISO file to media.

Step 4: Confirm the warning, then wait for the creation process to finish.

Step 5. Connect the bootable drive to the computer with the issue, and press "F2" or "Del" to enter BIOS. Set the WinPE bootable drive as the boot disk and exit by pressing "F10."

Step 6: Your computer will then boot to the WinPE desktop. Open BootRepair, select the system you need to repair, and click "Repair".

Select the operating system to be repaired

Wait for a moment, and you'll see a message that the system repair was successful. Click “OK” to finish the startup repair process.

Please download this powerful Windows Boot Repair tool to try to fix your black screen issue successfully!

Fix 5: Perform a Startup Repair

Since the BIOS is responsible for booting up the computer, any issues with the startup files can lead to a corrupted BIOS configuration, resulting in a black screen. To fix this, you can perform a startup repair, which will identify and fix any corrupted files causing this error. The steps to execute a startup repair are quite straightforward.

Step 1: Hold the power button for 5 seconds to turn off the system.

Insert the recovery drive, and then turn on the computer.

Step 3: From the boot menu, choose “Repair your computer.” This will lead you to the Windows Recovery Environment.

Step 4: Select “Troubleshoot” from the available options, and then choose “Advanced options.”

Step 5: In the Advanced Options, click on “Startup Repair.” Follow the on-screen instructions.

Step 6: The system will check and repair all files.

Step 7: Now, reboot the system and check the Error Status.

Fix 6: Disable Fast Startup

Fast Startup helps to boot up your system quickly. When it's turned on, the system creates a hibernation file that stores drivers, programs, and the current state. This is what enables fast startup. However, if there's an issue with this file, it can cause a black screen. In that case, you need to turn off the Fast Startup option. Here's how:

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2: Type powercfg.cpl, and then press Enter.

Step 3: A "Power Options" window will appear. Click on "Change settings that are currently unavailable" on the left side.

4. Go to “Shutdown settings” and uncheck “Enable fast start-up.”

Next up, just translate this sentence into American English:

Step five: click "Save Changes," turn on your computer, and the problem is fixed.

Repair Boot Record

The Master Boot Record contains information about the location of the operating system. Any damage to the MBR will affect the boot process directly, resulting in a black screen. Windows has built-in methods to fix the MBR. This is the proper way to fix the MBR.

Step one: Power down the computer and unplug the AC adapter.

Step 2: Boot the system and click on “Repair your computer.”

Step 3: Click “Troubleshoot” and then choose “Advanced options.”

Step 4: Click on Command Prompt, and then type the following:

bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bootrec /rebuildbcd

Step 5: Type “Exit”, and press Enter.

Step 6: Restart the system, and the error should be fixed.

Fix 8: Check Your GPU

The Graphics Processing Unit, or GPU, controls all of your system's visual display. A faulty GPU can be caused by dust, damage, or overheating, and will result in a unresponsive screen that turns black. As such, a GPU check is necessary.

The main component of a GPU is the graphics card. Remove it from the PCIe x16 slot and inspect its condition. If the card is damaged or broken, replace it. If it's in good shape, reinsert it and power on the system.

Fix 9: Rollback/Reinstall Graphics Driver

Graphics drivers control how the graphical interface interacts with the rest of the computer. They are a type of software with limited instructions. Occasionally, an update to the graphics driver can interfere with BIOS settings, leading to a halted boot process. Hence, you would see the same black screen issue.

The fix is to roll back the driver update. You boot the system into Safe Mode and use a previous driver configuration that allows you to start up successfully. This undoes any updates that caused the startup issue. The process involves the following steps.

Step one: Power down the system.

Step two: Connect the recovery drive and open it.

Step 3: Choose “Repair your computer,” and then select “Troubleshoot.”

Step four: Click “Advanced options” and then “Startup Settings.” Choose “Restart.”

Step 5: When the system restarts, press F5 to continue into "Safe Mode with Networking."

Step 6: In the Device Manager, press Win+X, and then expand “Display adapters.”

Step 8: Next, go to the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver.

Step 9: The system will now roll back all updates. Reboot the system and the error should be gone.

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Additional Tip: How to Back Up Your Computer to Prevent Data Loss

In today's world, data is everything. We keep our important personal, educational, and business data on computers for easy access and modification. Unfortunately, computers are prone to viruses, malware, and many other software and hardware issues.

The issue at hand – “black screen after BIOS update” – is just one of hundreds of such problems. To prepare for this and prevent data loss, it's crucial to create a system image of your computer. For this, we recommend using the Todo Backup tool, the simplest and most reliable backup and recovery solution.

Todo Backup is an easy-to-use, award-winning backup tool compatible with Windows 7/8/10/11. It allows you to back up your system, disks, partitions, files, and computer applications.

In addition, it lets you back up multiple drives simultaneously and store your backups in multiple locations, including local and external drives, NAS, Safe Zone, and the cloud. Last but not least, it also allows you to clone your disk for backup and recovery purposes.

All in all, Todo Backup is a tool that solves all your data safety, backup, and loss issues. So, what are you waiting for? Download it now and give it a try!

Here's how to back up your computer using the Todo Backup tool.

Step 1: Launch the Todo Backup tool on your computer and click “Create Backup” from the main screen. Then, click the big question-mark button to “Select What to Backup.”

Step 2. To back up the Windows operating system, click "OS" to start the backup.

Step 3: Windows will automatically select the operating system, along with all system-related files and partitions, so you don't need to make any selections here. Next, click on the illustrated area to choose where you want to save your System Image Backup.

Step 4: The backup location can be another local drive on your computer, an external hard drive, a network, the cloud, or a NAS. We generally recommend using an external physical drive or the cloud to save your system backup files.

Step 5: If desired, click on "Options" to enable an automatic backup schedule (daily, weekly, monthly, or event-based), set differential and incremental backups. Click "Back Up Now" to start the Windows system backup process. Completed tasks will appear as cards on the left side.

In short

"Black screen after BIOS update" is a common boot issue with modern computers. When this occurs, the system remains stuck on a stationary screen without loading the main Windows interface. For novices, this can be particularly alarming since they have no access to or means of managing their data. This problem might result from an improper BIOS update, incompatible drivers, hardware damage, RAM failure, or overheating of the motherboard.

This article lists the top 8 solutions to fix the "black screen after BIOS update" issue. We provide instructions and illustrations for each step. To prevent data loss when your computer encounters problems, we recommend using the Todo Backup tool. It can help safeguard your data securely. Download Todo Backup now to address all your data safety, security, and recovery needs.

Frequently Asked Questions About Black Screen After BIOS Update

These are some of the most common issues that occur after a BIOS update resulting in a black screen.

What happens if a BIOS update fails?

An incorrect update can brick or otherwise render the BIOS unusable, affecting all boot processes and leading to issues like a black screen.

2. Can I cancel the BIOS update?

No, it is not possible to cancel a BIOS update that is in progress. Attempting to do so could damage the system and prevent any further updates for a while. In such a scenario, your only option would be to revert to the previous BIOS settings after the BIOS update has completed.

3. Do I need to reinstall Windows after updating the BIOS?

A BIOS update only concerns the computer's boot process, not the operating system or its overall functionality. Therefore, you should not need to reinstall Windows if the update process went as expected.

What changes will updating the BIOS make?

A BIOS update is typically used to fix errors related to computer booting and other software issues. It does not affect the system's performance, efficiency, or stored data.